Reds manager Bryan Price said that Aroldis Chapman would indeed pitch Thursday in Dayton in his first game since being hit in the face by a line drive during spring training.

Before Wednesday's game with the Cubs, Chapman took pitchers fielding practice for the first time since the injury. That includes fielding ground balls and also taking throws from infielders. Afterwards, Chapman said it went well.

Thursday's game with the Dragons will be the first of at least four rehab starts, Price said.

"We anticipate a minimum of four outings with the necessary spacing between those outings, so we're looking at another seven-to-10 days, I'd guess," Price said.

Chapman will start Thursday's game for the Dragons, but during at least one of his rehab appearances, he'll come out of the bullpen at least once.

"We have a schedule, we have a template, we're not going through this blindly, but with that said we'd like to have the freedom of allowing him to see how he feels after he throws in these games and not have this teaser for everybody," Price said. "We'd just like to see him go out there and pitch in a game before we really announce any further outing. I think that's the responsible thing to do, I don't want to tease you guys with something or put something out in front of him that he can't live up to or be ready, so that everyone sees it as a setback when it's really not."

Price said if everything goes well, he'll pitch again in the next couple of days.